Nestled inside the Kering headquarters in Milan, the Material Innovation Lab (MIL) houses more than 8,000 samples of sustainable materials from over 600 manufacturers and innovators. Director Christian Tubito and his team have carefully built this collection over 13 years, scouting, validating and piloting each material to figure out which ones have what it takes to scale.
What’s the pinnacle of luxury? For many, the answer is high-quality craftsmanship. But too often, the people behind some of those coveted artisanal techniques face poor working conditions, low pay and abuses of their basic human rights. How can luxury better support artisans and provide genuine social impact for these often vulnerable communities?
Eileen Akbaraly redéfinit les contours du luxe en tissant, depuis Madagascar, une autre manière d’entreprendre, où croissance rime avec inclusion, et création avec introspection. Entre ses collaborations avec Chloé, Fendi ou Swatch, et son engagement viscéral pour les personnes vulnérables de son pays,..
I’m half-Italian and half-Indian, and I grew up in a very small Muslim community. Although I was born in Italy, I always felt different from everybody around me. Through Michelle Ngonmo’s work and the efforts of AFA, I felt part of a community for the first time.
Eileen Akbaraly, fondatrice del brand Made For A Woman con sede in Madagascar, ha colpito per la forza con cui porta avanti un’idea di moda che unisce stile, sostenibilità e giustizia sociale.
Produce borse, cappelli e accessori in rafia (meravigliosamente) intrecciati attraverso tecniche tradizionali. Ma Made for a Woman non è soltanto un brand di moda: è un progetto che sta migliorando la vita a centinaia di donne del Madagascar, uno dei Paesi più poveri al mondo. Abbiamo fatto una chiacchierata con la sua fondatrice, Eileen Akbaraly..
The fashion world is rife with talented craftsmen, but women are indisputably the backbone of the trade. Take for instance Eileen Akbaraly, founder, designer and chief executive officer of Made for a Woman, a women-led artisanal luxury firm powering collabs with Chloé and the like.
A collaboration with Chloé, the interest of LVMH, a series of pop-ups: the secret to Made for a Woman’s growth trajectory is kept at the label’s atelier in Madagascar.
Eileen Akbaraly, fondatrice di Made for a woman, è stata nominata tra i Meaningful business 100 di quest’anno, il programma annuale che celebra i leader capaci di unire profitto e scopo per affrontare complesse sfide sociali e ambientali.
Luxury has long celebrated craftsmanship. Yet behind every threaded piece, embroidered detail or handmade object is a person whose story often remains invisible. Increasingly, the conversation is changing. The question is no longer only what is made, but who benefits from making it.
The project to re-valorize raffia starts from Madagascar, the poorest land that offers richness in terms of biodiversity, both regarding flora and fauna. The founder of the project, Eileen Akbaraly, which has effectively become a brand, combined her interest in humanitarianism and her background in fashion to create a company that espouses both causes.
